What It's Like to Be Young, Black, and Hungry in the Beauty Industry

For decades, paving your way in the beauty industry meant having either connections or money (and in many cases, both). That privilege, nine times out of ten, was afforded strictly to white businessmen. Now, as more products are being marketed to a generation that essentially grew up on the internet, all you need is a solid social media following.

Battle had already acquired a massive amount of support for KingCurls before launching in October thanks to his dedicated community of TikTok followers (he currently has over one million). Before introducing his products in October, his plan was to garner even more support for the brand by going viral on Twitter. It worked, and his tweet showing off his initial brand images garnered nearly 75,000 retweets and 174,000 likes.

"I was manifesting that it would go viral so that we can have a large rollout," he said. "When we finally did launch, I woke up that morning and the tweet was at 10,000 likes, and then it was at 20,000, and kept going, and celebrities were retweeting."

That tweet speaks to the larger role that social media and storytelling play in building a name for yourself in beauty. Claudia Teng and Olamide Olowo, both 24, launched their brand, Topicals, last year. With just two products on their roster so far, the duo has been able to use social media as a tool to win over younger consumers thanks to their unfiltered, inclusive approach to skin-care.

"When you grow up feeling like an outsider because of your skin, it gives you a unique perspective on the beauty industry," Olowe told POPSUGAR. "Younger generations, especially our target audience, gen Z, spend a lot of their time on social media platforms. It plays a huge role in how people feel about themselves. That's why it's important to create a brand that doesn't focus on perfection or unattainable beauty standards. We want to transform the way people feel about skin and we do that on social media by showcasing people with visible skin conditions living life in full colour."

With a growing emphasis on the need for diversity in all parts of the industry, the ambition of Black creators and entrepreneurs is at an all-time high. Still, there are disadvantages to being young. Amber Hughes, 20, has had dreams of modelling since she was a kid, but a lack of confidence and not being able to see others like her in the industry almost deterred her from pursing the career path altogether.

"Growing up, there was such little representation of Black models," she told POPSUGAR. "It seemed so far away. My beauty wasn't represented well enough in the industry for me to think that I was able to be a model."

Beyond representation, there's also the general lack of business experience that comes with being young, and access to capital and mentors continues to be a barrier from Black entrepreneurs.

Take Cherie Amor, who wanted to be a hairstylist for as long as she could remember. After working under the leadership of celebrity hairstylist Nikki Nelms in her early twenties, she had big plans to open her own salon and expand her celebrity clientele — but she was quickly hit with the reality of what actually goes into operating a business.

"I always wanted my own salon, but it wasn't until I worked in someone else's business that I realised bills and other expenses came with it," she said. "I was at a standstill because I couldn't do the things I wanted to do or flourish in the industry."

According to survey data on e-commerce platform Shopify, launching a business these days can cost up to $40,000, putting young, Black entrepreneurs at a disadvantage from the get-go. "For women of colour, there's a huge lack of funding and resources to help jump start your business," Olowe said. "I pitched to over 100 investors until I was able to raise our seed round."

Ciara May, 26, can relate. "It took several 'nos' for me to figure out that my idea wasn't landing — not because it wasn't a great idea, but because my audience didn't understand what I was talking about," she said. May recently founded a brand of plant-based hair extensions called Rebundle after experiencing excessive itchiness and scalp irritation from wearing synthetic hair. It's an experience that's incredibly common among Black women, though trying to get approval from people who couldn't relate proved to be an obstacle.

"I knew that my idea was strong, but I had to tell it in a way that anyone could understand, not just other Black women who wore braids," she said.

After the death of George Floyd last summer and the racial reckoning that followed, several companies began to make efforts to combat the barriers of entry into the beauty industry by announcing their plans to support well-deserving entrepreneurs of colour with funding. Glossier, for example, set aside $500,000 worth of grants to Black-owned beauty businesses in June.

"I've spent a lot of time applying for funding and opportunities that have become available in the last 10-11 months, and I'm glad that I'm in the position to grow my business when there are so many people willing to support me," said May. "It's important that this 'generosity' doesn't dry up as time goes on because access to funding is and will continue to be a barrier for Black entrepreneurs."

An unprecedented outlier of this generation's impact in beauty is the desire to give back and make lasting change. Amor, for example, has created an empowerment summit called "Hair I Am" for up-and-coming hairstylists in the industry. Amid the Black Lives Matter movement in June, Topicals donated its marketing budget originally allocated for launch to mental health organisations like Therapy for Black Girls and Fearless Femme 100. Hughes hopes to become a cartoonist someday to create animations that centre Black stories. And to this day, Folusewa won't model for a brand or company that doesn't genuinely support Black people.

"With the brands that [my agency] secures for me and the other models — the hairstylists, the makeup artists — these are people who are familiar with people who look like me," she said. "It's nice now to be confident enough to know that, when I go for a job, I have someone I can talk to who can help me, who can speak for me, and advocate for me."

In the end, there's one consistent theme that exists in each young entrepreneur: hunger, drive, and passion. Folusewa's portfolio has only grown in the last six years; Olowe is now a rising star in the skin-care industry; Amor has added celebrities like Lala Anthony and Cardi B's sister, Hennessy, to her roster; and May's plant-based extensions are now available for pre-order.

When building a brand in an industry that doesn't often make room for people who look like you, fear is inevitable. But pushing past your internal dialogue is exactly what makes it worthwhile in the end. "I'm overwhelmed by fear at least once a day by something, but I've learned to work through it," May said. "My friends tell me that the fear I feel is a reminder that growth is coming."